Author: admin

Soul Jazz

I recently read Soul Jazz:  Jazz in the Black Community, 1945-1975, a book by producer, writer, and critic Bob Porter.   When I first heard about it, I felt like it was right in line with what I’ve been interested in learning about and listening to for the last 5 years or so:  popular instrumental music […]

Learning By Ear

I recently had the opportunity to make a couple of videos for young students on learning music by ear.  The opportunity was through the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra’s Jazz Scholars program, of which I am proud to be a part.  I believe that learning music by ear and transcription is an invaluable part of playing […]

Vocabulary

I’ve been talking with students about the use of vocabulary, “licks”, and learned musical sentences in improvisation in 20th century Black American Music.  If we compare music to visual art, I think sometimes it can be helpful to practice improvisation more like creating a collage than trying to paint something completely new on a blank […]

Transcription Clip – Joe Henderson, “Song For my Father”

When I was 15 my family went to Berkeley CA to visit my brother at college, and the Tower Records store there had a CD called “The Best Blue Note Album Ever”, a double-disc compilation. I was getting into jazz/BAM at the time but I don’t think I knew what Blue Note was. I bought […]

Transcription Clip: Michael Brecker, “The Four Sleepers”

Hi everyone!  For this transcription, I went to one of the most influential saxophonists from the 1970’s through the early 2000’s.  Although many of Brecker’s solos would take significantly longer for me learn, this little clip is from a medium-tempo tune and he largely sticks to 8th note ideas, so I had a better chance!  […]

Theoretics

  Theoretics released a new track, “Suspended Animation”, last week, part of an EP that we hope to release in the near future, funded by pay-what-you-want donations.  You can check it out here:  https://theoretics.bandcamp.com/album/suspended-animation-3?fbclid=IwAR3xPbt23Jebf3QftaaSO2YgY-fI00VB0Kp3tB32T7S6ox79EWH3T_NLRWU The group has taken a break for a while now, mostly focusing on getting the last of our creative material out […]

Transcription Clip: Woody Shaw, “If”

Hi all! It’s been a little while but here’s a bit of some music that’s had my attention lately. This is a bit of Woody Shaw’s trumpet solo on Joe Henderson’s song “If”, off of Larry Young’s Unity (lots of credits, there!) I love Joe Henderson but I had to try some of Shaw’s ideas […]